Watch our Video
Misinformation spreads because it is emotional, simple, and repeated and AI can powerfully accelerate that. Charities can cut through the noise by being the opposite of spam and slop: clear, human, transparent, consistent, and deeply authentic. Trust is built by humans, not machines. This guide explains why trust and authenticity are critical for charities using AI, the risks posed by misinformation and deepfakes, and practical steps charities can take. You may also wish to read our practical guide on how to create your charity's tone of voice.
Want to learn how to deal with online AI threats? We have 11 free online AI courses for charities, including AI Safety for Everyone and AI Keeping Vulnerable People Safe.
While charities remain among the most trusted organisations in society, recent research (in 2026) shows a small but growing minority of people are losing confidence in them. More importantly, charities now operate in a world where trust in institutions generally is under pressure from misinformation, scams, political division and uncertainty about emerging technologies such as AI. The public is not withdrawing trust completely, but it is becoming more cautious and conditional. People increasingly expect transparency, authenticity, ethical behaviour and clear evidence of impact. In an AI-enabled world, trust is no longer just a reputational advantage. It is a strategic necessity.
Organisations that are open, accountable and visibly human will be best placed to earn and retain public confidence.
Today, misinformation/disinformation can travel faster than truth. Not because people are careless but because the online world is built in ways that favour emotional, simple, and repeated messages. People believe what feels true. We naturally trust information that aligns with our existing beliefs, reduces uncertainty, fits our worldview and comes from a source that feels familiar.
If something feels emotionally satisfying, it often gets accepted without much scrutiny and repetition creates credibility. The more often people see something, the more “true” it feels.
It gives us the same powerful tools to communicate clearly, reach supporters, and build trust. People trust people more than institutions. In a world full of scams, spam, and AI‑generated noise, people look for voices that feel human, local, and real. This is where we, especially those of us rooted in their communities, have a powerful advantage.
The public is not opposed to charities using AI. In fact, there is strong support for using AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs, protect charitable funds and tackle fraud. However, that support is conditional. People care less about whether AI is used and more about how it is used, why it is used and whether humans remain in control.
Trust becomes more fragile when AI is used to replace human judgement, tell the stories of vulnerable people, or create content that feels misleading or inauthentic. Research suggests that AI-generated images, particularly highly realistic or emotionally charged ones, undermine trust rather than build it. While around 40% of people find AI-generated imagery acceptable, nearly a third do not, and concerns extend beyond disclosure to issues of authenticity, representation and credibility.
Recent research also found that most consumers believe AI-generated content should be clearly disclosed. This reflects a broader expectation that organisations should be open about their use of AI and transparent about where it is, and is not, being used.
For charities, this creates both an opportunity and a responsibility. Charities remain among the most trusted organisations in society, but trust cannot be taken for granted in a world increasingly affected by AI-generated content, scams, misinformation and fake news. There have been recent indications that trust in us has fallen - as part of an overall fall in trust across all institutions. Maintaining public confidence requires clear governance, meaningful human oversight, strong data protection and honest communication about AI use.
The lesson is simple: people are generally comfortable with AI helping charities work smarter, but they expect transparency, accountability and authenticity. The organisations that retain trust will be those that are open about why they use AI, clear about where humans remain in charge, and honest about the limits they place on the technology.
We depend on trust more than almost any other type of organisation. Trust and authenticity are the foundation of effective communication (and fundraising!) and will become even more important as AI-generated content becomes more common.
Not everyone in a charity will use AI tools for communication but we are all at risk from the scammers and abusers who are. Remaining ignorant of these risks makes us far more vulnerable. We must ensure that we manage not only our own use of AI but also how we identify and respond to its use by others, not least those who wish harm on us.
Don’t repeat or allow misinformation – AI has created slop (low value AI created content) and increased the volume of and sophistication of misinformation/disinformation, scams and deepfakes. We must ensure our people understand these risks and we have processes to identify and manage misinformation and keep our charity, its reputation and our people safe from deepfakes.
Use AI responsibly – honesty and respect for our community is now more important than ever but AI has moved the goal posts. We must revise how we work so our people can respond to it effectively, and those using it do so responsibly. In particular, how you use AI imagery or whether you use it at all, depends on what your stakeholders think, and the risk of your use of AI being weaponised by others. If you do use it, you must be transparent and how you use it is also very important. A simple abstract poster for your Christmas Fayre is one thing but people being pictured in emotional and/or potentially contentious images is very different. Read our Imagery Ethics Best Practice Guide for how to do that.
Use AI to enhance clarity, not replace authenticity – it can help us to draft and revise content, summarise complex information, or simplify complex issues, offer ideas, analyse supporter feedback and personalise communication. But your next brilliant new idea for a campaign will come from a human, not a machine, and AI should never replace the human voice of your charity. The key is to use AI to support your authenticity, not to try and simulate it; you can’t.
Sources
This report draws on the findings of our Future Charity Report April 2026, which itself was based on various sources on AI trust and authenticity including the Charity Commission, Edeleman Trust Barometer, University of East Anglia and others.
A registered charity ourselves, the CEF works for any non profit, not just charities.
Plus, 65+ policies, 8 online health checks and the huge resource base. Our AI Ready programme and Charity Excellence Learning free online AI training courses, give non profits everything they need to make effective use of AI and stay safe.
Find Funding, Free Help & Resources - Everything Is Free.
